Happy New Year! We hope 2024 brings a more settled and seasonal weather pattern to all our customers and colleagues.
2023 saw our busiest year yet with the introduction of new herbicides and fungicides including LAYA (metsulfuron-methyl), LEASH (clopyralid), and BOSCLER (boscalid). We also conducted development trials on new herbicides, fungicides and insecticides.
2024 is proving to be just as exciting, as we hope to be launching at least 3 new products in cereals, including a unique optimised combination of two triazoles, and FLEXURE, a fungicide formulation containing prothioconazole and spiroxamine.
Product News
More in next months newsletter, but one of those new products is FLEXURE, a fungicide formulation containing prothioconazole and spiroxamine and a reverse engineered Helix.
Following the loss of approval of morpholines such as fenpropimorph and fenpropidin in GB, spiroxamine is the only remaining active ingredient from FRAC group 5 and can therefore play an important role in fungicide programmes. Spiroxamine is also known to enhance the absorption of other fungicides into the plant.
We have some innovative trials work to investigate the properties of FLEXURE and will report on the results as soon as we have them available.
Oilseed Rape Disease Control
Now is the time to check crops for signs of Light leaf spot. Crops which did not receive an appropriate fungicide treatment in the autumn may need treating soon. Even crops that did receive an autumn application may need a follow-up application if the variety is susceptible to the disease or if high disease pressure is predicted.
For Light leaf spot, consider using a product containing prothioconazole such as AURELIA. Alternatively, ESKER or ORASO PRO, contain prothioconazole and tebuconazole. These have activity against the disease and tebuconazole is known to have some growth regulatory activity on the crop.
See the labels for dose rates and timings.
New Tank-mix and Sequence Approval
ALS-inhibitors, including sulfonyl ureas, are highly active herbicides. Following their launch in the 1980’s, they quickly became key to broad-leaved and grass weed control in a range of crops however, as they can be active at just grammes per hectare, they require careful management. Sprayers must be thoroughly cleaned after use, using an appropriate tank cleaner where necessary, and approval of the products requires information on safety to following crops.
Cereal ALS-inhibitor herbicides can only be used in tank-mixture or sequence (joint application) with another ALS-inhibitor if a joint application is approved on the product label. The approvals are for specific named products, not for active ingredients.
Following requests from our customers, we made an application to CRD to add a joint application of SUMIR (florasulam) to the LAYA label. This has now been approved and means that LAYA and SUMIR can now be used in sequence or tank-mix.
We will shortly be issuing full lists of approved joint applications for our four ALS-inhibitor products:
CINTAC – WG containing 30g/kg mesosulfuron-methyl and 10g/kg iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium;
LAYA – WG containing 200g/kg metsulfuron-methyl;
NIANTIC – WG containing 30g/kg mesosulfuron-methyl and 6g/kg iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium.
SUMIR – SC containing 50g/L florasulam.
With the use of any joint application, read the labels before use and ensure that any advice, requirements or restrictions on both labels are followed.
